Pairing Wine With Tacos

When it comes to pairing wine with tacos, there is no easy answer. Tacos can be stuffed with a wide variety of proteins and fillings, so the only suitable answer is that tacos can be paired with a wide variety of wines. However, there are some wines that go particularly well with Mexican food in general, so in this article, we will take a look at those, and go into further detail about which wines suit certain types of tacos like fish tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos and more.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Tacos

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry to Off Dry
Acidity	Balanced to High
Tannins	Smooth to Medium
Body	Light to Medium
Tasting Notes	Bright, sweet, citrus flavors, or jammy, spicy and smoky flavors.

Most of the time, tacos are going to be pretty spicy due to the taco seasoning cooked with the meat. Other common qualities are smokiness from meats or beans, fattiness from ranch and sour cream, and acidity from the tomatoes and maybe even a lime wedge. So, some wines will suit tacos better than others. For the most part, we’ll be looking at light to medium-bodied wines, with a decent level of acidity.

Best Red Wine To Drink With Tacos

When choosing a red wine to pair with tacos, something with spicy and smoky flavors is desirable. A full-bodied, high alcohol and tannin wine in combination with Mexican spices may also be too much, so ideally, you want a fruity and flavorful red without too much alcohol or tannins.

Tempranillo

If there is a one-size-fits-all wine for Mexican food, Tempranillo may be it. Generally speaking, it is a fun and juicy wine, with ample fruitiness and spicy flavors, matching the broad range of flavors you can find inside tacos. It has a level of bright acidity that is perfect for cutting through protein and rivaling rich tomato salsas.

Grenache

Grenache is in a similar vein to Tempranillo. It is juicy, fruity and light bodied which is excellent with spicy Mexican meats. They also have a bit of a savory, leathery element, which can pair well with many proteins.

Zinfandel

A classic Zinfandel is usually high in alcohol and has moderate tannin levels, so it isn’t ideal for spicy tacos. But the tannins and alcohol can cut through the fat. Zinfandel also has beautifully rich fruits, and smokey secondary notes, so it’s a great partner for tacos with smoky or strong flavored meats.

Lambrusco

On the other end of the scale, Lambrusco is a fun and perfectly light option. It is almost always made in a fizzy, semi-sweet style, and contains enough acidity and rich fruitiness to stand up to all of the intense flavors found in tacos. Lambrusco is great with spicy tacos because the low alcohol and semi-sweet flavors will counter the spiciness. The bubbles in the wine pair well with the spiciness in tacos.

Best White Wine To Drink With Tacos

As mentioned above, tacos can contain a cornucopia of flavors, so consider a white wine that can cut through them. Crisp, refreshing white wines, with citrus flavors and hints of sweetness, are the way to go.

Sauvignon Blanc

When choosing a Sauvignon Blanc, it makes sense to lean towards an offering from New Zealand. They have a more universal appeal and are almost always vibrant, crisp and full of citrus. The high acidity will match or contrast with anything you put in your taco, and is a fantastic option. Sauvignon Blanc is perfect for fish tacos to complement the light fish flavors and the acidity to cut through any coleslaw or pico de gallo added to the tacos.

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris, is particularly great for tacos containing white meats. Its clean acidity is a perfect match for chicken, pork or fish, and its fruitiness will combine with whatever fillings you choose, be it onions, cilantro, guacamole or sour cream.

Riesling

Riesling is a very food-friendly wine. It is often slightly sweet, and fitting company for a variety of spicy food. It is crisp and delicious, and sometimes features flavors of tropical fruit, such as pineapple. Its acidity and intense fruit flavors will enhance your tacos, regardless of the filling. But the low alcohol and sweetness make it a perfect pairing with spicy tacos.

Pairing Wine With Tacos Prepared Different Ways

Tacos can be filled with a wide variety of proteins. This covers the main types and some of the optimal pairings for each protein.

Wine With Beef Tacos

Beef tacos pair best with a nice Tempranillo. It won’t be overpowered by the taco seasoning, and the tannins and smokiness pair great with the fattiness of the ground beef.

Wine With Pulled Pork Tacos

With Mexican-style carnitas tacos, Pinot Noir is a great option. Its savory elements mingle with the savory pork beautifully, and it is incisive and acidic enough to punch through any spicy toppings.

Wine With Carne Asada Tacos

This thin slice of meat will add plenty of body to your taco, so perhaps it is best to pair asada tacos with a glass of red wine. Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Argentinian Malbec and Syrah are all great choices.

Wine With Chicken Tacos

When filling your taco with poultry, it makes sense to go with a crisp white wine. The tart Pinot Grigio is beautiful with chicken, but you can also think about Riesling or a Traminer.

Wine With Bean Tacos

Vegan tacos or tacos with refried beans add a distinctly smokey flavor to tacos, possibly more than any other filling. Tempranillo is the way to go with refried beans, or another smokey red wine, such as a lighter Zinfandel. Some tacos, like double decker tacos have refried beans between the soft shell and the hard shell, and traditional taco fillings. A light Zinfandel or Tempranillo also pairs excellently with those tacos.

Wine With Fish Tacos

When adding fish to your tacos, it’s hard to go wrong with a punchy Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a common pairing for seafood in New Zealand, and its intense citrus fruits will balance out Mexican spices. The high acidity will also cut through any fatiness if the fish is fried. But the wine won’t be so strong that it overpowers the delicate flavors of the fish. If the fish is salmon or swordfish, we recommend a Pinot Noir rather than a Sauvignon Blanc. But Sauvignon Blanc should pair well with any other type of fish.

Best Wine To Drink With Tacos

To choose a pairing for tacos, it’s important to keep your filling in mind. There is no single ideal wine, but this is a great pool of varietals to choose from: